Cavaliers upset No.4 FSU, 26-21
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 16, 2005

Thank goodness the Rolling Stones played at Scott Stadium last week. That got the grass surface on the field ready for the events that followed Saturday's game.
Almost 10 years to the date of the biggest win in school history, Virginia duplicated the feat, beating the same opponent - Florida State - on the same field, by the same five-point margin.
This time the Cavaliers didn't need a final play from their defense, like they did in 1995, but as the final seconds ticked off the clock, securing a 26-21 win for the Cavaliers, the same type of celebration erupted.
Virginia coach Al Groh got a Gatorade bath. Assistant coaches embraced with congratulatory bear hugs. And despite a partial blackout of some stadium lights during halftime, thousands of fans from the announced crowd of 63,106 spilled onto the field racing toward Virginia's players, who in turn where sprinting toward their supporters.
It had 1995 written all over it and it was only fitting that the only UVa team that had previously beaten FSU was honored at halftime.
"That was a very good win for us," said Virginia coach Al Groh, whose team improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. "It was a terrific college football game. There was tremendous action out there, wide open, daring, a lot of plays made by both teams."
Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans passed for a career-high 306 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns to lift the Cavaliers over the fourth-ranked Seminoles. FSU (5-1, 3-1 ACC) watched its hopes of a national title disappear as they lost for the first time this year.
"Marques was fantastic tonight," Groh said while raving about his signal-caller's "incredible play-making" ability.
Florida State tried to mount a late comeback, scoring the final 11 points of the game, but came up short when its quarterback, freshman Drew Weatherford, was intercepted by Tony Franklin with 56 seconds left.
It was a fitting end to a rough night for the Seminoles' quarterback, who was playing in just his second road game of his short career. Weatherford finished 35-of-59 passing for 377 yards and a touchdown, but killed three drives by throwing three costly interceptions.
After a lackluster third quarter, Florida State decided to make things interesting in the early stages of the final quarter. Trailing 26-10 and facing a 3rd-and-10 from the Virginia 47, Weatherford connected on a 25-yard pass to Willie Reid. One play later he dumped a short pass off to wideout Chris Davis that magically turned into a touchdown.
Davis, a junior, caught the ball near the original line of scrimmage, raced right and towards the outside. He turned the corner. As two would-be tacklers approached at the UVa 14, Davis made an electrifying spin move and scooted to the end zone. The Seminoles trailed by 10.
FSU went on to convert the two-point conversion, as Weatherford connected with Greg Carr on a pass in the middle of Virginia's end zone, cutting UVa's lead to 26-18.
After forcing Virginia to go three-and-out on offense on its next offensive possession, the Seminoles trimmed the lead again, this time with a 32-yard field goal by Gary Cismesia.
And although the Seminoles got the ball two more times, those drives were stopped by Virginia's defense, which bent (allowing 472 yards of total offense) but didn't break.
Virginia scored all of its points in the first half, including the first score of the game on its opening drive as Hagans connected on a 21-yard pass to tight end Jonathan Stupar.
After Florida State answered with a game-tying 5-yard TD run by Lorenzo Booker, both teams exchanged field goals.
Connor Hughes, who had already made a field goal from 50 yards out, added back-to-back kicks - one from 37 yards and another from 35.
Virginia scored its final touchdown of the first half and the game with 19 seconds left in the first half as Hagans connected on a short pass to tailback Wali Lundy, who bullied his way into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.
For the game, Virginia finished with 326 total yards and 22 first downs.
The story, however, was the play of the Cavaliers' defense. Playing with inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks for just the second time all season, the unit held the Seminoles when they had to.
"We always say that the only thing the defense is out there for is not to give up a lot of points, and they certainly did a good job of that," Groh said. "Florida State had us on our heels with a couple of those drives, but the kids really bucked up at the end of the drive and took points away from them."
While the celebration will likely last throughout the weekend, Virginia's players know they still need two more wins to become bowl eligible.
"This is an excellent win," said left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who was playing his first game in three weeks since injuring his left knee against Duke. "As a team we are definitely going to celebrate this, but our focus is going to be to get back to the drawing table and focus on [North Carolina] come Monday. But again, this was an excellent win and we are going to enjoy it."

 

UVa repeats history, defeats Florida State 26-21
By HANK KURZ Jr. / AP Sports Writer
October 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Marques Hagans threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns and Connor Hughes kicked four field goals to help Virginia recapture a bit of its history by holding on to beat No. 4 Florida State 26-21 Saturday night.

The Cavaliers (4-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) stopped the Seminoles near midfield with 3 1/2 minutes to go to force a punt. Hagans then ran for six yards before Florida State's Tony Carter was called for pass interference on third down, giving Virginia a first down.

After Hagans came up a yard short on the next third-and-7 run, the Cavaliers punted and Florida State got one last chance from its own 26 with 56 seconds left. Drew Weatherford's pass was picked off by Tony Franklin, sealing off the upset and bringing thousands of fans pouring onto the field to celebrate the victory.

The only bigger win in program history came 10 years ago, also against Florida State, when the Seminoles arrived ranked second and the Cavaliers held on for a 33-28 victory when Warrick Dunn was stopped at the goal line in the game's final seconds.

That 1995 team was honored at halftime, and then history repeated itself.

Florida State (5-1, 3-1) had rallied from 26-10 down behind Weatherford in the final quarter, getting a 20-yard touchdown catch by Chris Davis and a 32-yard field goal from Gary Cismesia, but the freshman's third interception ended the comeback attempt.

Weatherford finished 35-for-59 for 377 yards.

Hagans was 27-for-36 for 306 yards.

Coming off consecutive double-digit road losses at Maryland and Boston College, Virginia responded by beating a team ranked in the top five for only the second time.

Florida State lost because it had no answer for Hagans, who used his speed to get away from defenders all night, repeatedly buying time and completing passes on the run. Virginia finished with only 20 yards rushing, on only 28 attempts.

The Cavaliers defense, bolstered by the return of All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks, intercepted Weatherford twice in the first half to set up 10 points, and had only allowed 10 points entering the fourth quarter. The early touchdown came on a 58-yard run by Lorenzo Booker in the first quarter, but then Virginia's defense stiffened.

Until the fourth quarter, when Weatherford covered 47 yards in two plays _ a 25-yard pass to Willie Reid and a dump off that Davis took 22 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. Weatherford also hit 6-foot-6 Greg Carr for the 2 points.

After Virginia failed to get a first down for the second series in a row, the Seminoles drove 73 yards in 11 plays, ending with Cismesia's 32-yard field goal.

The Cavaliers led 23-10 at halftime, getting their second touchdown with 19 seconds left when Hagans was flushed from the pocket, scrambled right and hit Wali Lundy, who dodged several defenders and made a final lunge to get the ball into the end zone.

Virginia also intercepted two passes, one by Marcus Hamilton to halt the Seminoles' opening drive at the Virginia 34, and one to start a 74-yard drive that ended with Hagans' 21-yard pass to Jonathan Stupar in the right corner of the end zone.

On the play before, Hagans made an even better throw on the run, a third-and-16 past that somehow got past a Seminoles defender to Emmanuel Byers for a 28-yard gain.

The second interception, by Chris Gorham at the Seminoles 36, led to Hughes' third field goal, a 35-yarder that gave the Cavaliers a 16-10 lead 1:29 before halftime.
 

Hughes' kicking proves vital in win
By Sean McLernon / Daily Progress correspondent
October 16, 2005

Up against the toughest competition of his career, Connor Hughes was as ready to kick a football as he had ever been.

“These are the games that you live for,” Hughes said. “It was easier to come out and kick in this game than it was for me to kick in any other game this year just because I kept that focus, with that other team being so good.”

Hughes’ mental strength did not go unnoticed last night, as the junior netted all four of his field goal tries, including attempts from 45 and 50 yards. The kick, which split the uprights, was the fifth field goal of at least 50 yards in Hughes’ four-year career. (He also had a 49-yarder negated by a false start penalty; the Cavs punted after the miscue.)

The field goal specialist’s performance, along with that of his kick-off counterpart Kurt Smith, helped make the difference in Virginia’s 26-21 victory over No. 4 Florida State.

Hughes gave Virginia the lead on two separate occasions in the first half, breaking ties of 7-7 and 10-10 to ensure that the momentum stayed on Virginia’s side. His 45-yard boot in the third quarter accounted for the only points UVa scored in the second half. Smith, meanwhile, consistently knocked the pigskin deep into the Florida State end zone on kickoffs, forcing five Seminole touchbacks.

“They had a lot of thunder in their legs tonight,” Virginia coach Al Groh said of his kickers.

Hughes is rapidly approaching the Virginia scoring record, currently held by Gene Mayer. Mayer scored 293 points between 1912-15 when he played as a back for the Cavaliers. Hughes came into Saturday night’s contest with 277 points under his belt, and his four field goals and two extra points leave him a field goal away from etching his place in the Virginia record book.

“It’s going to mean a lot once it happens, but it’s just a record,” Hughes said of his move up the Virginia scoring chart. “I’d rather my team win the game and score less points. I really don’t know what it is, I don’t know how close I am and I don’t want to know how close I am. All I’m worried about is making the kick every single time.”

This season, Hughes has converted on all 19 of his PAT attempts and 11 of 13 field goals. His four field goals Saturday extended his current run to 10 straight, which matches his career-long streak set two years ago.

In addition to breaking the Virginia scoring record, Hughes’ next field goal will set the Virginia mark for most field goals made. He is currently tied with Rafael Garcia (1993-96) who knocked through 58 field goals during his Virginia career. Interestingly, Garcia drilled four field goals in UVa’s 1995 upset of FSU, just like Hughes did this time around.
 

Several Cavs return to help team prevail
By Sean McLernon / Daily Progress correspondent
October 16, 2005

It was a night when the stars seemed to be in perfect alignment for the Cavaliers and it all started before the opening whistle.

For the first time this season, Virginia had all of its star players on the field and at their usual positions.

The return of All-Americans D’Brickashaw Ferguson (knee) and Ahmad Brooks (ankle) along with Brian Barthelmes re-entering the starting lineup and Wali Lundy playing at full strength helped the Cavaliers record the biggest upset of the Al Groh era.

Ferguson injured his knee in Virginia’s 38-7 victory over Duke and hadn’t played since. Barthelmes also went down against Duke with a sprained ankle. He was able to return for the second half against Boston College but did not play any snaps at center, a position Barthelmes had started at in Virginia’s first three games.

When the Cavaliers lined up for the first offensive series against the Seminoles last night, the center and the left tackle lined up at their respective positions for the first time since Virginia was undefeated and nationally ranked.

Florida State’s defense came into Saturday night’s contest ranked fifth in the nation in sacks with 20 and had held its last two opponents to an average of 143.3 yards passing, but the replenished Virginia offensive line was able to provide ample protection for Hagans. The senior signal caller threw for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Still recovering from offseason knee surgery, Brooks missed Virginia’s first three games of the season. He was able to return to the starting lineup against Maryland at outside linebacker but injured his ankle in the contest and did not even make the trip north for Virginia’s loss to Boston College last Saturday.

Saturday night marked the first time Brooks started at his usual position of inside linebacker and the junior helped contribute to the upset victory with four tackles.

Starting running back Wali Lundy sprained his foot in Virginia’s season opening victory over Western Michigan and missed all of Virginia’s 27-24 victory over Syracuse two weeks later.

The senior captain took several snaps against Duke and Maryland, but the Boston College game marked the first time Lundy played in the second half of a Virginia contest this season. Lundy’s 16-yard touchdown reception in the closing seconds of the first half gave the Cavaliers a commanding 23-10 lead going into the locker room.
 

Schmidt stays in FSU's hair
Defensive line was led by Mohawk-wearing senior
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
October 16, 2005

Al Groh may seriously want to consider instituting a new team policy after Virginia’s shocking 26-21 victory over Florida State on Saturday night: Mohawk haircuts for everyone.

Senior captain Brennan Schmidt unveiled the hairdo before the game. Now he’s going to have to keep it, right?

“I don’t know,” Schmidt said. “It depends on what my mom says, and I might get tired of it.”

The defensive end, who has started every game in his career, once again came up huge for UVa. He set the tone for a stingy Cavs’ defense.

“Our D-Line dominated their O-Line,” said safety Tony Franklin, “and helped stop their passing game.”

In the first quarter, with the Cavs up 10-7, the Seminoles had a first-and-goal from the Cavs’ 2-yard line. Schmidt broke through the line to nail Seminoles running back Lorenzo Booker for a 5-yard loss. Subsequently, the Cavs were able to force the Seminoles into a field goal.

Late in the second quarter, the Cavs were up 16-10, but the Seminoles were trying to put one last drive together before the half. It didn’t happen - thanks to Schmidt and linebacker Kai Parham. The duo sacked Seminole quarterback Drew Weatherford for a 6-yard loss that forced a Seminole punt.

Schmidt wasn’t the only member of the Cavs’ D-Line to come up big. Chris Long, Ron Darden and Kwakou Robinson all put constant pressure on Weatherford.

“Our gameplan was to make sure that we were fresh in the fourth quarter,” Schmidt said, “so we rotated a lot of guys.”

The pressure clearly had an effect on Weatherford. Although the redshirt freshman threw for 377 yards, he looked a little rattled at times. Weatherford was picked off by the Cavs’ Marcus Hamilton and Chris Gorham in the first half. And, with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, he was intercepted by Franklin.

The stellar play of the defensive line was key in helping shut down the Seminoles’ pro-style attack that Cavs coach Al Groh called a “NASCAR offense” earlier in the week.

The Cavs allowed the Seminoles 472 yards of total offense, about 40 more than their average. However, they got stops when they needed to, according to Groh.

“We did quite a bit more substitution than we were able to do in previous games,” Groh said, “and we got a good push in the pocket and were able to force the quarterback to move.”

After tough losses to Maryland and Boston College, Schmidt said the win felt amazing.

“We showed we could come through in the big game,” he said. “Everyone has a whole lot of heart and we trust each other.”

Enough to all get Mohawks?

 

1995 team honored at halftime
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 16, 2005

They traveled from far and wide. Some drove just minutes. Another flew in from Spain. And it was all for one reason - to get honored for a night that Virginia fans hope they never forget.

On Nov. 2, 1995, with a national audience watching on ESPN, UVa shocked the world by beating Florida State, 33-28, at Scott Stadium. It marked the first and only win to date for the Cavaliers against the Seminoles.

Thanks to that one historic win and six others in Atlantic Coast Conference play that season, Virginia finished the year as co-champions of the league, sharing the title with Florida State.

During a celebration at halftime, the members of the team and their coach George Welsh, were honored.

A large ovation was given for one player in particular - Skeet Jones - a fan favorite and a player that teammates said never received enough credit for calling the final play in the FSU game. From his linebacker position, Jones saw Dunn watching the snap, which prompted Jones to yell, “Draw! Draw!”

Among the players honored, placekicker Rafael Garcia easily won the frequent flyer award, having flown in for the game from Spain. In the win over the Seminoles in ‘95, Garcia connected on four field goals.

Two other players - quarterback Mike Groh and safety Anthony Poindexter - missed the celebration since the two, both assistant coaches at UVa, were in the locker room preparing for the second half.

A number of players from the championship squad were unable to attend due to other obligations - a.k.a. playing in the NFL. The group includes: Aaron Brooks (Saints), James Farrior (Steelers), Patrick Jeffers (Panthers), Tiki Barber (Giants), Ronde Barber (Bucs) and Jamie Sharper (Seahawks).

 

Lundy, Stupar among notables
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 16, 2005

VIRGINIA IS FOR LUNDY: After failing to score a touchdown in Virginia’s first five games, tailback Wali Lundy returned to a familiar place - the end zone.
Lundy entered the season with 41 career touchdowns, second-most in school history. To his credit, a sprained foot suffered in the Cavaliers’ season opener at home against Western Michigan slowed the senior.
It was the eighth TD reception for Lundy in his career, but the first since the Cavaliers beat Virginia Tech in 2003.

GETTING PICKY: Virginia cornerback Chris Gorham intercepted the first pass of his career in the second quarter. The pick came with 3:13 left in the first half and led to a field goal by Connor Hughes.
Gorham, a sophomore, entered the game with one pass break-up and 13 tackles (eight solo, five assisted) in 220 plays. He played in four games last year as a rookie.
It was the ninth interception of the season for the Cavs. Gorham was the fifth different UVa player to pick off a pass this year, joining Marcus Hamilton, Chris Cook, Tony Franklin and Nate Lyles.

ROCKETS RED GLARE: The “Adventures of Cavman” featured UVa linebacker Kai Parham. The junior, who was given rocket-boosters under his shoes in the animated cartoon, handed the “ball” off to Cavman, who later conquered a Seminole.

A FINAL KICK: Florida State punter Chris Hall, a senior, is the only member of his team from the state of Virginia. Hall is a native of Centreville.
Hall had a first half that he would probably like to forget. He punted twice for an average of just 26 yards. One of those punts, however, pinned Virginia inside its 20.
Hall, 22, graduated from Centreville High School in 2001 and after a redshirt season, he was used in spot duty for the Seminoles in 2002 and 2003.
Hall stormed onto the scene last year.
In addition to finishing third in the ACC with an average of 42.1 yards per punt in ‘04, Hall finished with the eighth best single-season average in school history.

STUPAR STEPS UP: Virginia tight end Jonathan Stupar had a huge first half for the Cavaliers.
In addition to catching four passes for 63 yards, Stupar scored the first touchdown of his career on a 21-yard pass from Marques Hagans with 10:13 left in the first quarter. On the play, he kept both feet inbounds while securing the football in front of the Cavaliers’ student section.
Stupar, a sophomore, entered the game with seven catches for 99 yards.

IN AN INSTANT: The Atlantic Coast Conference is using instant replay for the first time this season. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden thinks if it had been used in 1995 his team would have beaten Virginia on the final play.
Former FSU tailback Warrick Dunn lunged for the end zone as time expired only to be ruled inches shy. That gave Virginia a 33-28 win, the first and only win for the Cavaliers against the Seminoles.
“I’d give anything to get that one on instant replay,” Bowden told reporters. “Our film had Warrick going in the end zone and then it showed the ball rolling back out under his arm. Well, if it touched that line, it’s a touchdown. But I’ve never argued it. They won’t reverse it. But with instant replay, it would have been reviewed, and that would have been interesting.”
Instant replay was used only once Saturday night in the first half. And in that situation, the call made by the officials (that Marques Hagans threw an incomplete pass) stood.

FACES IN THE CROWD: Former Virginia offensive lineman Elton Brown watched the contest from the Cavaliers’ sidelines. Brown, who plays in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals (idle this week), waved a white towel throughout the contest. Ryan Zimmerman, a standout third baseman at Virginia and now for the Washington Nationals, was also in attendance.

UP NEXT: Virginia plays on Saturday at North Carolina at noon. The Cavaliers whipped the Tar Heels last year at Scott Stadium 56-24. In UVa’s last trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., the Cavaliers won 38-13. North Carolina (2-3, 1-1 ACC) did not play on Saturday. They did play on Oct. 8, losing 69-14 to Louisville. Florida State plays on Saturday at Duke at 3:30 p.m.

EXTRA POINTS: The Virginia women’s soccer team was honored at the end of the first quarter for its 2004 ACC Tournament Championship. … The opening quarter lasted 44 minutes. … Wide receiver Maurice Covington, a true freshman, played in a game for the first time this season, ending any chance of a redshirt. He made his first catch of his career with 13:24 left in the second quarter and added another a minute later. … Virginia senior D’Brickashaw Ferguson carried the “team flag” out of the Cavaliers’ tunnel prior to the game. Freshman linebacker Jason Fuller got the honor once the game started. … Virginia’s touchdown with 10:13 left in the opening quarter marked the first time that the Seminoles had not scored first in a game. FSU entered the game having allowed just 17 points this season in the first quarter. UVa nearly matched that in this one, scoring 10. …
By scoring 23 points in the first half, Virginia moved into elite status by Florida State standards. The last team to score that many in the opening half against the Noles? Clemson scored 24 in the first half against FSU on Oct. 3, 2002. … In the six previous meetings between FSU and UVa, the Cavaliers had scored a combined total of 24 points. ...
With 1:13 left in the third quarter and during a TV timeout, the fans at Scott Stadium started the wave. … Virginia sophomore Ryan Best nearly had an interception in the first half, but he dropped the pass from FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford. Best played for the UVa soccer team in 2003 and was the starting goalkeeper in eight games. … The announced crowd of 63,106 was the second largest to ever watch the Cavaliers play football at Scott Stadium.
 

Cavs, Groh find victory
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 16, 2005

Two weeks ago 60-year-old Mick Jagger couldn’t get any satisfaction at Scott Stadium. Saturday night, 75-year-old Bobby Bowden couldn’t either.

Jagger, the Rolling Stones’ legendary singer, at least got a big pay day during his sellout concert at the University of Virginia venue. Meanwhile, Bowden watched his undefeated and fourth-ranked Florida State football team go down in flames, 26-21.

In a wild, wide-open game played at greyhound pace, the unranked Cavaliers broke from a two-game losing slump to stun the Seminoles before the second-largest crowd (63,106) in UVa history.

When Virginia safety Tony Franklin darted in front of FSU wide receiver Chris Davis to intercept Drew Weatherford’s 59th pass attempt of the night, it boldly, coldly ended the Seminoles’ last gasp.

Deja vu all over again

Only 45 ticks remained and Bowden, major college football’s winningest coach, couldn’t stop it after having burned all of FSU’s time outs. As time ran off, a hungry Virginia crowd rushed the field just as it did 10 years ago when the Cavaliers became the first ACC team to hand Florida State a loss.

Ironically, looking on from a perch near the top of the stadium, the engineer of that first memorable upset, former coach George Welsh, looked on as did many of the 1995 time that rocked the football world that chilly autumn night a decade past.

Bedlam.

Senior tailback Wali Lundy doused coach Al Groh with a Gatorade bath as the field truly became a sea of orange as the crowd flooded the surface.

It was hauntingly similar to that high-water mark of 1995. This time FSU was ranked No. 4, while in ‘95 it was No. 2. Both offenses racked up major yardage. UVa place-kicker Connor Hughes booted four field goals as did Rafael Garcia in the first stunner. Virginia’s defense played classic bend-not-break football.

Hagans shines

The Cavaliers had multiple heroes on this night, but perhaps none bigger that senior quarterback Marques Hagans.

Criticized for the past two seasons for what some thought was an inability to deliver a solid passing performance under pressure, Hagans turned Florida State’s secondary into his personal shooting gallery, machine-gunning the Seminoles for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns.

It was also probably a career-high in escapes for the Houdini-like Hagans.

Constantly under pressure from Florida State’s pass rush, Hagans used his uncanny ability to create on the run to get outside and magically find open receivers downfield.

“Marques was fantastic tonight,” Groh said. “Incredible playmaking out there. There probably haven’t been too many games played by a Virginia quarterback too much better than that.”

Bowden couldn’t have agreed more.

“I’ve never seen a quarterback beat us with a one-man show,” Bowden said. “The last time that’s happened to us was Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl - J.C. Watts. Watts did it in about 30 minutes. This guy [Hagans] did it the whole game.

“You’ve got to give Al Groh credit,” Bowden said. “I kept waiting for him to quit throwing. When’s he going to quit throwing? When’s he going to quit making that quarterback throw? When’s he going to hand off the ball, and somebody’s going to run? Al wouldn’t do it because the kid was as hot as a firecracker.”

Maybe Jagger and Bowden didn’t get any satisfaction, but Groh certainly did.

 

Leitao's first UVa practice proves to be challenging
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
October 16, 2005

Break out the Ben Gay. The University of Virginia men’s basketball team is going to need a ton of it this season.

That much was obvious after the squad’s first practice on Saturday morning.

First-year coach Dave Leitao spent a good portion of the session running a rebounding drill that looked like something out of the World Wrestling Federation.

Assistant coach Gene Cross fired up bricks, then the chase was on.

On a few of the sequences, players battled for loose balls that were practically in the stands. The idea was to learn proper boxing-out technique.

Leitao, who didn’t seem happy unless his players were diving on the floor, said he has used the drill as a key component of his practices for many years.

“It’s a drill that separates the men from the boys,” Leitao said.

Freshman forward Laurynas Mikalauskas, a product of nearby Blue Ridge School, and senior guard Billy Campbell stood out in the drill.

After the mortal combat portion of practice, players broke into teams for shooting drills. The losing squads had to run extra sprints.

How did the first practice under Leitao compare to ones in past years?

“You can’t compare it,” said Cavs junior guard J.R. Reynolds, following the three-hour workout. “Everyone’s going to be sore. We’re not used to it.”

Reynolds said it’s going to take some time to adjust.

“We knew this was going to be hard, but this is what we needed,” Reynolds said. “We have to get as physically and mentally prepared as possible. Everyone just needs to figure out what [Leitao] expects from us and just keep building.”

Leitao seemed pleased with his first practice.

“Today was all about establishing an identity,” he said. “I think we have some resilient guys, [but] not everyone. We have some guys who could go 10 hours and you couldn’t break their spirit, but we have to do it as a unit.”

DUNKS: Johnnie Lett, a 6-foot-8 power forward who is in town for a recruiting visit, worked out with Cavs assistant coach Steve Seymour following practice. The high school senior from Alabama looked athletic, albeit a little raw. … Shaun Brown, the Cavs’ new strength and conditioning coach, anticipated players being sore. He spent about 10 minutes stretching everyone out after practice. … Cav junior post player Donte Minter, who recently had arthroscopic knee surgery, was able to make it through all the drills. … Virginia junior point guard

T. J. Bannister, out following sports hernia surgery, was only able to do some light shooting on the side.

 

Pearman, former Cav tailback, finds NFL success
By Nick Hahn / Daily Progress correspondent
October 16, 2005

Fans of Virginia football have seen it for years.

Give Alvin Pearman a small opening and he’ll take advantage of it. A little daylight is what the Jacksonville Jaguars provided when they made him their 4th round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft (127th overall), but that may be enough for AP to show his talent.

“All I dreamed about is having an opportunity to play in the league,” said Pearman. “Now I’m trying my best to take advantage of that opportunity. Older players tell me it doesn’t last long so it’s very important to take advantage of every small opportunity you have.”

As is the case for many rookies, special teams opened the NFL door for Pearman. Perhaps he could have made the Jaguars without showcasing his special teams skills, but it would have taken longer for coaches to take notice.

“The best way to make an immediate impact is on special teams. I tried to really put in as much has I could in the mini-camps and preseason as far as special teams-wise just so that the coaches would get a comfort level with me and not be afraid to play me when the time came around,” Pearman said. “The opportunity came around and they asked me to return punts in a game and it wound up working.”

It didn’t take long for Pearman to notice the difference between college and NFL practices.

“I didn’t realize how intense practice was in the NFL. You can’t take off any plays in practice. It’s a 100 percent all the time whether you’re in full pads or just in shorts and a jersey,” he said. “That’s one of the things that caught me by surprise was the intensity of practice throughout the whole week. As a young guy you learn and adapt.”

“When you get into the NFL you haven’t proven anything. You may have had a successful college career but at this level you haven’t done anything so you are starting from the bottom and building your resume in the coach’s eyes on a practice by practice level,” Pearman added.

Pearman is learning from one of the best, 8-year Jaguar veteran running back, Fred Taylor. As a 1st round pick from Florida in 1998, Taylor’s NFL opening was a little larger than Pearman’s on his way to five 1,000-yard seasons and 56 touchdowns. Taylor is approaching the 10,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving. Pearman just clipped the 100-yard mark in combined yardage and is seeking his first NFL touchdown.

“I’ve picked up a lot just being around him and observing him on the practice field and in the classroom. He’s been in the league for a long time and is one of the best in the NFL. Anything he does, I want to do. I had no idea how much he really knows the game. In meetings he’s taking notes all the time and copying things down over and over again. Those are things you would think an 8-year old veteran wouldn’t have to do.”

The best series of AP’s young NFL career started with his fair catch of a punt on their own 14-yard line in last Sunday night’s 23-20 win over the previously undefeated Bengals. During that series Pearman caught a screen pass on third down and picked up 19 yards and a first down. The next play he went 18 yards off a handoff. The drive resulted in a field goal.

“The guy that was covering me blitzed so I was able to get out and get the first down. The following play, we just ran a normal inside zone play and I kind of cut back to the left and broke a tackle. I should have been gone, if my jersey was tucked in or a little tighter at the bottom, I may have scored. The defender scraped me by the bottom of my jersey. That’s how he got me, just as I was breaking to the outside.”

Pearman’s NFL progress has not surprised his former coach.

“Obviously he’s doing the same thing down there that he did when he was here,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “He was determined to be an integral part of the team the first season he arrived here. I think it was the 5th or 6th game that he started as a true freshman. It’s easy to understand why he’s a player that every coach enjoys coaching.”

As has been the case with other Cavs playing on the next level, Pearman has benefited from Groh’s NFL background.

“The organization, the way he ran things, practice schedule, everything was at this level. Coach Groh did an incredible job preparing me on and off the field on what to expect,” Pearman said. “Once I got here a lot of rookies were swimming with the terminology and personnel calling and things like that. Those are things that I’ve gotten use to the last four years.”

Pearman’s last four years did not always go smoothly. In the 9th game of his sophomore season, Pearman injured his knee against Penn State.

“More than anything, it put things in perspective for me. It really revealed to me how much I love this game and how much I wanted to be back because ACL injuries take a while to recover from and even more so to get back to where you feel

100 percent,” Pearman said. “With the great training staff that they had at Virginia, I was able to make a full recovery and was able to finish off my career.”

On Thursday, the Jaguars announced that Taylor was being downgraded to questionable (50-50 chance of playing) for today’s game against the Steelers. If he is unable to play, Pearman will get the start. Taylor hurt his ankle after gaining a season high 132 yards against the Bengals on Sunday night.

An NFL start would not relieve Pearman from his rookie obligations with the Jaguars. As has been the case with his former UVa roommate, Heath Miller, who he’ll see across the sidelines in Pittsburgh today, Pearman’s initiation to the NFL includes extra assignments, but nothing he hasn’t been able to handle.

“Early on in training camp, that’s when things were the worse. They would cut guys hair and make them sing in front of everybody, things like that. As the season rolls on, we have to buy food, get Popeye’s Chicken for all the position players on road games, buy food on Saturday’s before home games,” Pearman said.

Whether by pass, run or kick, Pearman is accumulating touches with the Jaguars. He may not have to deliver dinner much longer because his hands might be full carrying the ball.
 

TIME STANDS STILL
Ten years later, the Cavaliers repeat history by upsetting powerhouse FSU.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- So, what if it happens only once every 10 years. Virginia will take a victory over Florida State according to any timetable.

On a night when the Cavaliers' 1995 team was honored at halftime, karma was overflowing at Scott Stadium Saturday night as unranked UVa knocked off unbeaten and fourth-ranked Florida State 26-21.

Tony Franklin's interception with 50 seconds remaining sealed the deal and the crowd of 63,106 couldn't wait to storm the field.

The Cavaliers, coming off back-to-back road losses, intercepted Florida State freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford three times and had no turnovers of their own as quarterback Marques Hagans came up with the game of his career.

Hagans, dancing out of harm's way all night, completed 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns.

The absence of turnovers was critical on a night when the Seminoles (5-1 overall, 3-1 ACC) outgained the Cavaliers 454-326.

Weatherford finished 35-of-59 for 359 yards and one touchdown.

Although Virginia led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Seminoles had controlled the ball for almost 1012 minutes and outgained the Cavaliers 202-87.

At that point, Florida State was 5-for-5 on third-down conversions, but the Cavaliers stopped the Seminoles on third-and-goal from the 7 and Gary Cismesia came on for a 24-yard field goal that knotted the score, 10-10.

A personal foul on UVa's Nate Lyles had given the Seminoles a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but defensive tackle Brennan Schmidt had broken through the FSU line and stopped Lorenzo Booker for a 5-yard loss.

Booker had scored the Seminoles' first touchdown on a 58-yard run, but the Seminoles finished the half with only 45 yards on the ground against a UVa defense that was ranked eighth in the ACC against the run.

Virginia had a stroke of good fortune when an apparent 23-yard touchdown run by Leon Washington was nullified by a penalty, but the Cavaliers dominated the second quarter to the same degree that FSU had dominated the first quarter -- and had the points to show for it.

The Cavaliers scored 10 points in the final 1:29 before halftime, extending their lead to 23-10 on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Marques Hagans to Wali Lundy with 16 seconds left in the half.

It was the first touchdown of the season for Lundy, a senior who had scored 41 touchdowns in his first three seasons -- five short of a school record that has stood since 1915. Lundy, slowed by a sprained foot suffered in the opening game, had not caught a touchdown pass since the 2003 season.

Virginia had gone ahead 16-10 on Connor Hughes' third field goal of the game, a score set up Chris Gorham's interception at the 36. It came one play after the Cavaliers had downed a Chris Gould punt at the FSU 1-yard line.

An outage in one of the light towers caused a 10-minute delay to start the second half but it didn't interrupt the Cavaliers' momentum. Helped by a roughing-the-passer penalty that nullified a Florida State interception, Virginia added a fourth Hughes field goal to start the second half and went ahead 26-10.

The Seminoles finally got on the board again when Chris Davis took a short pass over the middle and weaved through the UVa defense for a 25-yard touchdown reception with 12:31 left. A two-point conversion pass to 6-foot-6 freshman Greg Carr made it a one-score game, 26-18.

A three-and-out offered little reprieve for the UVa defense, which immediately got in trouble again when defensive end Chris Long was whistled for roughing the passer with Florida State facing a third-and-10 from its 11.

Florida State stalled at the UVa 15 but that was close enough for Cismesia, who atoned for an earlier missed 32-yarder as the Seminoles inched closer at 26-21. That was followed by another Cavalier three-and-out that included a botched shotgun snap on second-and-2.

Virginia forced Florida State to punt and then picked up a needed first down when FSU cornerback Tony Carter was called for pass interference against Deyon Williams on third-and-four. By the time the Seminoles got the ball again, they had no timeouts and 56 seconds in which to negotiate 74 yards.

With Franklin's interception on first down, all that remained was a celebration, easily the wildest of Al Groh's five-year coaching tenure.

 

Cavs open bag of tricks for FSU
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The first sign that Virginia had special plans for Florida State should have come on the Cavaliers' first offensive play.

Wide receiver Emanuel Byers took a toss from quarterback Marques Hagans on an end-around, stopped and fired a pass to Deyon Williams.

Byers' pass fell incomplete but, as far as anybody could tell, it was the Cavaliers' first trick play of the season.

By the end of the Cavaliers' first offensive series, Virginia also had unveiled true freshman wide receiver Maurice Covington, a training-camp surprise who had not played in UVa's first five games.

Covington drew an interference penalty on Seminoles' cornerback Tony Carter, one of two against Carter on the opening drive. Carter also was beaten on a 28-yard Hagans-to-Byers pass on third-and-16.

Covington, who caught a pass in the second quarter, became the ninth true freshman to play for UVa this season and cornerback Mike Brown became the second member of that group to start. The first was offensive guard Branden Albert.

n The Cavaliers tried a second trick play before the half, when tailback Wali Lundy took a handoff from Hagans, ran to his right, stopped and then passed incomplete to Hagans in the left flat. Two plays later, Byers attempted his second pass but it sailed past the outstretched hands of Ottowa Anderson.

Personnel matters

Virginia's two preseason All-Americans, offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and linebacker Ahmad Brooks, started in the same game for the first time all season.

Brooks (knee and ankle) missed four of the first five games and Ferguson (knee) missed two full games and more than three quarters in a third.

Brooks was credited with the tackle on Florida State's first offensive play -- one more hit than he had in his first game, at Maryland, where he finished with two assists. Brooks, who played outside linebacker in that game, returned to his familiar inside spot Saturday night.

n True freshman Vic Hall, a former Gretna quarterback who set the Virginia High School League record for total offense in a career, was spotted working out with the UVa cornerbacks before the game. Hall did not play and remains eligible for a redshirt year.

Getting kicks

Connor Hughes' 50-yard field goal for Virginia was his longest of the season and the fifth field goal of 50 yards or more in his career. Hughes' 35-yarder in the second quarter was his third of the game and eighth in a row without a miss.

Rafael Garcia, introduced at halftime with Virginia's 1995 team, had two 50-yarders during his career and no other UVa kicker has made more than one.

Hughes was good from 49 yards with 3:29 remaining in the half, but the Cavaliers were called for a false start and head coach Al Groh sent out his punt team to a smattering of boos.

Chris Gould's first punt of the night was downed at the FSU 1-yard line.

The other half of Virginia's place-kicking tandem, fifth-year senior Kurt Smith, helped bottle up the Seminoles with five first-half kickoffs that were unreturnable.

The good and the bad

Florida State's Bobby Bowden was named first-half college coach of the year this week by Sports Illustrated, which also said that a cut block by Virginia offensive tackle Brad Butler against Boston College's Mathias Kiawanuka was its "worst play" of the first half.

Watch them again

The Season, an annual series on ESPN, has been following Florida State and a crew was at Scott Stadium Saturday. The second part of the two-part series will air at 1 a.m. Friday.

Injuries

Sophomore De'Cody Fagg was the top receiver for the Seminoles, with five catches for 42 yards, before he was helped to the bench with a sprained shoulder in the first quarter.

Virginia next week

North Carolina (2-3 overall, 1-1 ACC) will entertain Virginia (3-2, 1-2) at noon Saturday in a game that will be televised on WDBJ. The Tar Heels, 69-14 losers to Louisville in their last outing, had an open date Saturday. UVa has won five of the past six games in the series and coach Al Groh is 3-1 against his one-time employer.

 

Hagans passes his pain on to Seminoles
Published October 16 2005

David Teel

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Flat on his back, surrounded by teammates, trainers and even a trio of uniformed policemen, Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans elevated his right leg for the most public and important massage of his young life.

Clearly, his right hamstring was hurting. Had been since Florida State's pass rush, the ACC's fiercest, had flushed him from the pocket and forced him out of bounds early in the second quarter.

Hagans played out that drive, and as Connor Hughes kicked a go-ahead field goal, trainers worked feverishly on Virginia's most valuable player. The Cavaliers needed Hagans' arm, needed his legs. Without either, their chances of upsetting the fourth-ranked Seminoles were nil.

Hagans never missed a snap. Florida State kept harassing. He kept eluding.

Throwing on the run with uncanny accuracy, Hagans overcame a non-existent rushing attack, passed for a career-high 306 yards and guided Virginia to a 26-21 victory at delirious Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers' first conquest of a top-five opponent since their upset of Florida State 10 years ago.

Hagans easily surpassed his previous passing best, 270 yards at Maryland two weeks ago, in his finest football moment since he quarterbacked Hampton High to a fourth consecutive state championship in 1998.

Such drama seemed preordained. It was just that kind of day.

From South Bend to Ann Arbor to Morgantown, college football was replete with stirring finishes Saturday. And don't forget Oxford, Miss., Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Pullman, Wash.

Could Virginia add to the montage? Could the Cavaliers conjure memories of 1995, when they became the first team to defeat Florida State in ACC play?

Moreover, how would the extended halftime (half the stadium lights went dark) affect Hagans' leg? Not a lick. Hagans completed his first two passes of the third quarter and, after a bogus roughing-the-passer call overturned an interception, he escaped linebacker Ernie Sims' clutches and converted a third-and-13 with a 15-yard strike to Deyon Williams.

Hughes kicked his fourth field goal in as many attempts to punctuate the drive and extend Virginia's lead to 26-10. And when Gary Cismesia missed a field goal on Florida State's next series (how many national titles might the Seminoles have won with kickers as dependable as Hughes?), you just knew this was the Cavaliers' night.

As you may have noticed, 'twas a difficult week for the Cavaliers. Losing at Boston College last Saturday was hardly unexpected, but the Brad Butler cheap shot, suspension and fallout divided Virginia faithful as deeply as the Miers nomination did the right.

So any game, even against unbeaten Florida State, even without Butler protecting Hagans, was welcome. But really, did anyone expect this?

This wasn't Anthony Poindexter and Adrian Burnim stopping Warrick Dunn near the goal-line as the clock expired. This was a game the Seminoles never led, a game the Cavaliers owned until the fourth quarter got hairy.

This changes everything. This should vault the Cavaliers back into the top 25. This should fortify Virginia as it heads to North Carolina next Saturday and contemplates subsequent games against Virginia Tech and Miami.

Heck, if the Cavs can whip Florida State here, who's to say they can't challenge the visiting Hokies? Especially if Ahmad Brooks is back.

This was the Brooks we remember, the ubiquitous inside linebacker capable of stuffing the run, rushing the passer or dropping into coverage. Hobbled by a bum knee since offseason surgery, he'd been a non-factor - until now.

He cracked Leon Washington on the game's first play from scrimmage. He tackled Washington on a screen pass despite an illegal block in the back by tight end Matt Henshaw that knocked Brooks on his backside, and he planted quarterback Drew Weatherford on a third-down pass that fell incomplete.

Annually among the ACC's most-penalized teams, the Seminoles were their undisciplined selves, commiting 13 infractions for 121 yards. None was larger than the holding call against Cory Niblock that nullified Washington's 23-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.

Florida State failed to score on the drive, and when Virginia countered with 10 points in the final 1:29 of the period, the Seminoles trudged to the locker room down 23-10.

The Cavaliers' dominance continued for much of the second half. But on this Saturday, a nationally televised prime-time blowout was unacceptable. The sport all but demanded a stiff nightcap.

That Virginia and Florida State delivered, and for the Cavs, it was quite intoxicating.
 

Brooks back for Virginia
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
October 16, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the first time this season, Virginia was almost at full strength.

Inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks started Saturday night's game against Florida State after missing last week's game at Boston College with a sprained left ankle.

Brooks missed the first three games while recovering from offseason right-knee surgery and sprained his ankle when he returned at Maryland.

Left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Brian Barthelmes also started. Ferguson has missed the past two games with a sprained left knee. Barthelmes played last week but has been slowed recently by a sprained left ankle.

But outside linebacker Jermaine Dias did not play because of a sprained foot. And right tackle Brad Butler was suspended because of a blindside late hit on BC defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who missed the Eagles' game Saturday against Wake Forest with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Kiwanuka said he was uncertain if Butler caused the injury.

MINES EMERGING

Junior wide receiver Fontel Mines started his second consecutive game Saturday. He took senior Ottowa Anderson's starting job for the Boston College game.

Mines caught two passes against the Eagles for 19 yards and a touchdown. Heading into Saturday's game, he had six catches this season for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Cavaliers were ready to rely on him last season, but he broke his collarbone in the season opener and missed the next five games.

"It's almost like starting all over again when a guy comes back," Virginia coach Al Groh said. Mines finished with seven catches for 70 yards.

"It's been long," Mines said of his progression. "Very long seasons. Long offseasons.

"You can't live on the what-ifs."

After Anderson caught three passes for 109 yards in the season opener, he had just three catches for 31 yards in the next four games before Saturday.

Groh said Anderson is getting his regular turns but just isn't as open as other receivers.

AWARD WINNERS

Opposing offensives have loved playing against Virginia the past two weeks.

Boston College quarterback Quinton Porter last Monday was named Atlantic Coast Conference co-Offensive Player of the Week for completing 25 of 37 passes for 301 yards in the Eagles' 28-17 win over the Cavaliers.

The previous week, Maryland center Ryan McDonald earned conference Offensive Lineman of the Week honors for helping the Terrapins rush past the Cavs for a season-high 250 yards in a 45-33 Maryland win.

NEWS TO HIM

Saturday's game marked the second consecutive week in which true freshman Jon Copper was listed as Kai Parham's backup at inside linebacker. But that was news to Groh.

"I wasn't aware of it myself," he said.

Associate head coach Danny Rocco compiles the depth chart that is distributed to the media. Copper moved up because U.Va. lost an inside linebacker when Mark Miller moved outside to replace the injured Dias.

Before Saturday, Copper had played 47 plays on defense and special teams this season and has three tackles.

ANNIVERSARY HONORED

The Virginia team that defeated No. 2 Florida State 33-28 on Nov. 2, 1995, was honored at halftime. Adrian Burnim and Anthony Poindexter combined to stop FSU's Warrick Dunn at the goal line on that game's final play, handing the Seminoles their first ACC loss since they joined the league in 1992.

Those Cavaliers finished 9-4, 7-1 in the ACC and were co-ACC champions - the last U.Va. team to win the league.
 

HISTORY REPEATS
Ten years after handing FSU first ACC loss, Cavs win again
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia fans stayed in their seats at halftime to honor a 1995 team that handed Florida State its first ACC defeat. Two-and-a-half hours later, Cavalier fans poured out of those seats to celebrate a 26-21 victory that will sting the Seminoles more than any of its previous seven league defeats.

Fifth-ranked Florida State, seemingly on the brink of returning to the glory days of the previous decade, found trouble in a familiar place but in an unfamiliar way. Breakdowns on defense led to Bobby Bowden's seventh loss in his last regular-season 18 road trips. The loss, sealed by Tony Franklin's interception with 50 seconds remaining, ends FSU's pursuit of a national championship, likely sends FSU out of the top10 and makes the road to the ACC title game in Jacksonville less certain. FSU's attempt to rally in the air - FSU had 59 passing attempts - fell short with Franklin's interception.

If there was anything for FSU to take from Saturday night, it was the season-long cry of Bobby Bowden that the best is yet to come for a team filled with talented and contributing freshmen. In Scott Stadium, that promise was often too difficult to see - especially in a first half in which FSU allowed 23 points - including 13 unanswered - and one of those young FSU stars was exploited. Virginia scored more points by halftime than in any of the eight previous games against FSU, and the Seminoles had seven mostly costly penalties.

"As this season has rolled along, and we got to be 5-0 with so many freshmen playing, I keep saying, 'When are they going to start making freshmen mistakes?"' Bowden said. "We probably made a few - that's what freshmen are supposed to do, ain't it?

"We knew the crowd would be into it. And we just could never get the jump on them."

Time and again in the first half, Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans sidestepped FSU's bee-line charge or threw in the grasp of FSU linebackers only to find success against a Seminole defense that found out what it already knew. This group misses cornerback Antonio Cromartie. And it didn't help that cornerback Trevor Ford was out with a neck injury. Cornerback Tony Carter was called three times for pass interference, including his last that helped keep Virginia's final drive alive with about three minutes remaining. FSU still had its chances, including with 3½ minutes remaining when FSU punted rather than going for it on fourth-and-14 at its 49-yard line.

"We were going to go for that," Bowden said. "Somebody yelled out, 'Punt team.' I don't know who it was. We probably needed to go ahead (and go for it)."

Hagans had 224 of his 306 passing yards by halftime, along with two touchdowns and a 23-10 Virginia lead. FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford had 191 yards by halftime but also two costly turnovers. Bowden called him a one-man show - comparing him to Oklahoma quarterback J.C. Watts in the 1980 Orange Bowl or Virginia Tech Michael Vick in the 2000 Sugar Bowl.

"I don't think the physicalness (injuries) had anything to with loss," Bowden said. "That quarterback was simply unbelievable tonight. We couldn't stop them, and it made me feel like we ought to try to keep moving the ball. I don't know if another quarterback could do what they did to (FSU's defense). When you come, he takes off and finds somebody down field."

Still, the second half went better for FSU - especially it defense. The Seminoles gave up just one field goal while receiver Chris Davis kept FSU in the game with 22-yard touchdown catch from Weatherford. A two-point conversion pass from Weatherford that followed cut the Virginia to 26-18 with 12:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then Davis, with two receptions, had FSU knocking at the 21-yard line before FSU settled for a Gary Cismesia 32-yard field goal with 7:35 remaining in the game. That cut it to 26-21 to set up opportunities for Weatherford to rally FSU to victory. A jump ball to Greg Carr good for 27 yards was squandered on FSU's second-to-last chance.

Weatherford, as he did at Boston College in his first collegiate road trip, struggled in the first half. A week after not committing a turnover, Weatherford was picked twice before halftime. Each turnover led to a Virginia score.

Cavaliers cornerback Marcus Hamilton grabbed his fourth interception of the season when he snared a pass thrown too high for Davis that set up Virginia's first touchdown. And late in the second quarter, Chris Gorham stepped in front of Weatherfords's pass intended for Kenny O'Neal. Weatherford was lucky that the damage wasn't worse. Virginia dropped two certain interceptions early.

Weatherford did have enough success in finding tight end Matt Henshaw and making certain his tailbacks weren't ignored. Lorenzo Booker darted 58 yards in front of the Virginia bench on a nifty downfield block from tackle Cory Niblock to knot the game at 7-7. Leon Washington later weaved his way for what appeared to be FSU's second touchdown, but the 24-yard run was nullified by a holding penalty on Niblock. FSU, which lost receiver DeCody Fagg to injury on the last drive of the first quarter, made a 22-yard field goal for FSU's only other score in the first half.
 

Virginia too good at making a pass at FSU
Cavs won by attacking Seminoles' strength - their pass defense
By Chris Milton
DEMOCRAT WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Florida State secondary wasn't quite sure what to do with a few extra seconds.

That was what the mobility of Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans was giving his receivers as the Cavaliers handed FSU a 26-21 defeat Saturday night.

Having to run with opposing pass catchers longer and more frequently than in any other game this season, FSU's defensive backfield floundered, giving up 306 passing yards to the normally ground-oriented Cavs on the night.

A forte turned into the most focal flaw - the Seminoles had surrendered an average of just 131 passing yards in its last four outings prior to Saturday.

Virginia tight ends Jonathan Stupar and Tom Santi and receiver Fontel Mines, among others, got the best of FSU's smaller secondary in improvisational situations as Hagans scrambled to make plays. All three stand 6-foot-4 or greater and were able to come away with jump balls even when tightly covered.

An off-night from the pass rush also contributed. The normally sack-happy Seminoles got to Hagans just twice Saturday. On several occasions, FSU defenders were a split second short of corralling Hagans for a pressure-relieving sack before he got rid of passes that resulted in gains or face-saving incompletions.

The Seminoles surrendered 13 gains of 15 yards or more through the air.

It could have been worse - Hagans overthrew Deyon Williams on what could have provided the game-sealing score early in the third. With Virginia up by 16, Williams blew by Tony Carter one play after Gary Cismesia had missed a field goal but led him too far.

Carter was the culprit again late in the game. With the margin now 26-21 and FSU needing a third-down stop, the freshman jumped an out route by Williams too soon and was whistled for a pass interference penalty that gave Virginia a fresh set of downs.

Stupar and Mines led Virginia with five receptions apiece. Hagans - sharp the entire night - completed 27 of 36 attempts, a pair of touchdowns included.
 

Miscues shut FSU's lights out in first quarter
By Steve Elils
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - It could be argued that the lights began going out on Florida State in the first quarter against Virginia. Officially, two banks of lights at Scott Stadium went out during the end of a halftime ceremony on Saturday night. The partial outage sent both teams back into the locker rooms and forced a 15-minute delay.

Once the second half began, an especially troubling night continued for the FSU defense. Down 23-10, FSU's chance to jump-start a rally on linebacker A.J. Nicholson's interception was nullified by Ernie Sims' late hit on Marques Hagans on the same play. That kept alive a drive that ended in a Virginia field goal and a 26-10 Virginia lead.

With a heavy heart

A day after John Lilly attended the funeral of his father in West Virginia, the FSU assistant coach was back on the field coaching against Virginia. His father, Jack, died on Sunday after a long bout with cancer. John Lilly's mother, sister and brother-in-law accompanied the FSU tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator to Charlottesville.

Tight end Matt Henshaw spoke to the team last week before it played Wake Forest and asked them to dedicate the game to the older Lilly. Henshaw had a career-high four receptions on Saturday night - all n the first half.

Assistant head coach Billy Sexton's mother died 10 days ago in Panama City.

A crowded situation

The way quarterback Drew Weatherford handled a crowded box against Wake Forest pleased offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden. But it was Virginia's crowd that concerned Bowden entering Saturday night's game.

"I know how rowdy their crowd can be," the offensive coordinator said prior to the game. "Their fans are really good. Boston College was pretty good but Virginia's is louder. At least Drew's had some exposure to that."

Whether it was the crowd or just Virginia's defense, Weatherford threw two interceptions in the first half - the first time he had been picked off twice in a game at FSU. He had one more in the second half.

Turnovers and a porous secondary led to the most points that FSU has given up in a first half since the Clemson game on Oct.3, 2002. Virginia, with a touchdown at the 10:13 mark in the first quarter, became the first team this season to score first against FSU. The Seminoles also trailed for the first time after one quarter. And the 13-point deficit was the most points that FSU trailed by at halftime since Oct.11, 2003 when Miami had a 19-0 lead at halftime.

Another shot

FSU center and aspiring physician David Castillo received results from his first try at the Medical College Admission Test. And how did he do?

Castillo laughed, and then added: "I'll be taking it again in April."

The century mark

FSU entered Saturday night's game against Virginia looking to earn its 100th victory in the ACC. Wake Forest, a charter member of the ACC in 1953, didn't reach that mark until last season. Georgia Tech, which joined the ACC in 1979, still hasn't reached that mark. FSU, which joined the ACC in 1992, won its first 29 ACC games before losing to Virginia 33-28 in 1995.

Members of that Virginia team were honored at halftime on Saturday night, and fans were given hand towels with "10 Year Anniversary" "ACC Champs" printed on them. Virginia shared the ACC title with FSU in 1995.

Virginia won the game when officials ruled that Warrick Dunn was stopped inches shy of scoring on a direct snap. Dunn called current FSU tailback Lorenzo Booker on Wednesday to offer him tips about the new looks to FSU's offense, which is similar to that of the Atlanta Falcons. Booker averaged 9.9 yards per carry and ran for a 58-yard touchdown Saturday.

That's the ticket

FSU officials are counting on an Atlantic Division championship before it happens. But with the inaugural ACC Championship happening the Saturday after the regular season ends, and with that game in Jacksonville just six weeks away, ticket request forms must be mailed. And they will be this week. Participating schools will be allocated 10,000 tickets, and FSU officials anticipate limits will be needed if FSU makes the game.

Noteworthy

Virginia hasn't hosted a team ranked as high as No.4 FSU since 1999, when the Seminoles came to town as the nation's No.1 team.
 

Hagans and Cavaliers spoil the Seminoles' shot at a perfection

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Florida State continued its season-long domination of the fourth quarter - only this time it didn't matter.
Virginia's Tony Franklin made sure of that, halting the fifth-ranked Seminoles' comeback attempt by intercepting a Drew Weatherford pass at midfield with just 50 seconds remaining Saturday night
Cavaliers quarterback Marques Hagans put the finishing touches on a 26-21 upset by taking a knee. But Hagans had already done plenty of damage by then, throwing for 306 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
''It was just incredible play-making by Marques,'' Virginia coach Al Groh said.
Bobby Bowden seconded that notion.
''I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight,'' said the FSU coach, who saw his team suffer its first loss of the season at the wrong time. The initial Bowl Championship Series ratings are released Monday.
''I don't have a lot to say,'' Bowden said. ''All I want to say, you can't print.''
When the fourth quarter began, FSU found itself in hole that proved to be a little too deep. The Seminoles trailed Virginia 26-10 before a sense of urgency kicked in.
''I made some bad throws and forced some things with people in my face,'' said Weatherford, who passed for 377 yards but was intercepted three times. ''I felt like I let my team down. ... It's a shame it took us so long to kind of wake up and then the penalties and my interceptions stopped us.''
The Seminoles surrendered 123 yards on 13 penalties - including three pass interference calls against corner back Tony Carter. Still, Chris Davis provided a glimmer of comeback hope with a spin move that set him free for a 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 12:31 remaining. Weatherford then connected with Greg Carr with a conversion pass to get the Seminoles (5-1, 3-1) back to within another eight points.
FSU got three on its next drive, having to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Gary Cismesia. Any hopes of an eighth undefeated season in the Atlantic Coast Conference essentially ended there.
The Seminoles didn't get closer to embracing their national championship dreams, either.
One more thing. This defeat - unlike the one a decade ago to the Cavs - left no room for debate.
Al Groh made sure of it, cornering the market for motivational speakers. He made sure Virginia took the opportunity to salute those 1995 Cavaliers, who won a share of the ACC title that season by upsetting FSU 33-28.
ACC assistant commissioner Mike Finn took part in the festivities by "re-presenting" the ACC trophy to former Virginia coach George Welsh. That ceremony gave Virginia fans one more opportunity to break the sound barrier, and they didn't disappoint when the scoreboard video screen showed former FSU tailback Warrick Dunn getting stopped at the goal line on the final play.
Was Dunn in? We may never know. But we do know that the 2005 Seminoles were done in by an inspired Virginia team.
''I made sure our players knew those players were here ... I told them that if they felt like playing their best tonight those players would be here to appreciate it,'' Groh said.
His players now have their own 5-point victory over FSU to savor.
Weatherford completed 35 of 59 passes in an effort to overcome FSU's slow start.
''We needed two scores, and you felt like we needed a big play somewhere along the line,'' Bowden said. ''We got it on one of those drives. We needed one more.''
Groh had put a NASCAR tag on FSU's offense earlier in the week - ''Gentlemen, start your engines'' - but this must have been one of those restrictor-plate nights. The Seminoles had plenty of speed, but not enough to take the lead.
A promising game-opening drive was short-circuited when Weatherford overthrew Davis and the pass fell into the arms of Virginia's Marcus Hamilton. The Cavaliers didn't waste any time taking advantage. They marched 71 yards in six plays Ð plus, they got the added benefit of a pair of interference calls on Carter Ð to jump into the scoring rotation first.
The Seminoles were a step behind Ð literally and figuratively Ð the rest of the night.
 

UVa earns another win over Florida St.
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Apparently, Al Groh can win the big one.

There’s no other way to classify Virginia’s stunning 26-21 win over No. 4 Florida State before a rabid Scott Stadium crowd of 63,106 on Saturday night.

UVa relied on the golden arm of quarterback Marques Hagans, who turned in his best passing performance to date, completing 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Only once have the Cavaliers (4-2, 2-2 ACC) beaten a higher ranked team - in 1995, nearly 10 years ago when Virginia improbably handed the Seminoles their first ACC loss ever after Florida State had won 29 straight.

That game ended when Virginia stopped Florida State running back Warrick Dunn just short of the goal line as time expired. Fittingly, it was a big defensive play that sealed Saturday’s win.

After watching the previously unbeaten Seminoles (5-0, 3-1) pull within five with 11 unanswered fourth-quarter points, Tony Franklin put an end to Florida State’s potential game-winning drive. After a Virginia punt, the Seminoles got the ball on their own 26-yard line with 56 seconds to go. Franklin saved the day by intercepting Drew Weatherford on the first play of the drive.

Two Hagans kneel downs later, an avalanche of orange stormed the field to celebrate what was the signature win of Groh’s four-plus years at UVa.

The victory snapped several streaks of notoriety for the Cavaliers, who had lost nine straight to the Seminoles, including four during Groh’s tenure by an almost 24 points per game.

Groh had been 0-3 against teams ranked in the top 10 and, worse yet, 1-8 against the ACC’s big three of Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami before Saturday, increasing criticism that he could recruit big-time talent but not do anything with it.

The Cavaliers reversed that trend Saturday and just in time. After losing two straight, they were on the brink of watching their 2005 season go in the tank. They had not lost three in a row since Groh’s first season in 2001.

Hagans made sure they wouldn’t. The senior quarterback was sharp from the get-go. On Virginia’s opening drive, he threaded the needle on a pass to the right sideline in the end zone to Jonathan Stupar, who was blanketed by linebacker Ernie Sims. Stupar, who was Virginia’s leading receiver with five catches for 66 yards, got a foot down with possession before falling out of bounds to give UVa a 7-0 lead.

Florida State went 80 yards in six plays on the ensuing drive, capped off by a 58-yard Lorenzo Booker touchdown run up the left sideline on third-and-three to tie the game.

Connor Hughes made three of his four field goals in the first half, one from 50 yards, to give Virginia a 16-10 lead. The third was set up by a Chris Gorham interception at the FSU 41.

UVa came up with a big defensive stop just before the half after Hughes’ third field goal, forcing a three-and-out and getting the ball FSU 43 with 1:08 left in the half after a punt.

On the first play, Hagans hit wideout Deyon Williams for a 23-yard gain. One play later, Hagans was flushed out of the pocket to the right and, with two defenders draped all over him, dumped the ball off to tailback Wali Lundy, who rumbled 16 yards for a touchdown to give the Cavaliers a 23-10 halftime lead.

Weatherford threw for 191 of his 359 yards in the first half. But the Seminoles became very one-dimensional. Aside from Booker’s touchdown run, FSU had negative 13 rushing yards in the half.

The Cavaliers got a 45-yard field goal by Hughes to go ahead 26-10 early in the second half, getting in range after Hagans completed a 16-yard pass to Williams while falling down on third-and-13.

 

At Scott Stadium, a blast from the past
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW Oct 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE If jubilation is lovelier the second time around, this burg might not calm down for another, oh, 10 years or so. The quivering earth, the raucous shouts, the giddy grins -- they're all owed to Virginia 26, Florida State 21. If there were a dome atop Scott Stadium, it would've been blown to smithereens.

Bobby Bowden said earlier in the week he expected U.Va. to be "like a wounded tiger."

What he pretty much got last night was the lion king.

This was the game we've waited for Virginia to play for a couple of seasons now. Big-time opponent, big-time performance. The Cavs were all that and more. They were full of vim on offense and full of vinegar on defense. They created, they bruised, they attacked, they pummeled.

They had Marques Hagans.

Marques the magnificent.

A year ago in Tallahassee, Hagans was punished by FSU's defenders. This time, he inflicted pain. With his arm, with his feet, with his moxie, he was the driving force who propelled U.Va. to a 16-point cushion that held up through an edge-of-your-seat fourth quarter. The Cavs don't win this matchup without him, maybe don't come close. Now they've got a major notch on their belt. Now they've got a season back on track.


They could've billed this baby as the 10-Year Itch Bowl. Or the Quick, Mabel, Get Me Re-Run Bowl. Or the Say, You Think Lightning Can Strike Twice in an O.J.-Searches-for-the-Real-Killers-Decade? Bowl.

If you're lucky, you were one of the 473,617 people who claim they were in Scott Stadium back in'95. The 'Noles came to town 29-0 against ACC opponents. They'd outscored said opponents by a mere 1,316 to 367. They were favored to whip the Cavs by a couple of steamrollers.

They lost. They lost 33-28 when Anthony Poindexter and Adrian Burnim stopped Warrick Dunn at the goal line on the game's final play -- Dunn and Bowden swear to this day he got in -- and Albemarle County experienced its first 8.6-magnitude earthquake.

Last night, Mr. Jefferson's environs experienced a 20-megaton revival.

And it couldn't have been more timely.

Those 1995 Cavaliers boasted two Barbers, a Farrior and a Sharper and had lost last-play-of-the-game decisions at Michigan and Texas. This bunch hasn't seemed as fortified. It had yielded 1,067 yards and 73 points in stumbling at Maryland and Boston College in its past two starts. But on a thunderous evening, U.Va. was in command from the get-go and never really relinquished its grip.

This rocket ride couldn't have gone more sensationally for the home team had Al Groh written the script, with assists from Rockne and NASA. The Cavs got wonderful quarterbacking from Hagans. They got rugged defense from Kai Parham and his previously beleaguered buddies. They got legs up from field goal man Connor Hughes, kickoff man Kurt Smith and punter Chris Gould.

They got three interception deliveries from FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford. They got the usual penalty-flag excesses you've come to associate with the Seminoles.

They grabbed a 23-10 lead 30 minutes into this outing, and by then the crowd was going nuts. It's a description that also fit Hagans, who was merely two shades on the far side of dazzling. The Cavs stretched their playbook like Silly Putty. Wideout Emmanuel Byers lofted a couple of passes. Lundy tried one on a throwback to Hagans.

But mostly, they asked their QB to make plays. And lordy, did he ever.

FSU came at Hagans with pack-dog frenzy. It mattered not. Sprinting from rushers and blitzers and throwing on the run, Hagans was 16 for 20 for 224 yards and two TDs before the break. The first score was off a roll-right laser to Jonathan Stupar. The second came when Hagans was getting buried by'Noles linebackers Ernie Sims and Buster Davis.

Some play. Each of'em.

Hagans' one moment of distress came when he rose from a second-quarter scramble clutching the back of his right thigh -- his hammy twanged. He stayed on the field, then got sideline treatment, then returned to bewilder the'Noles, expand the lead and electrify the house.

Joyous fans even started doing the wave.

Gee, isn't that a'90s thing?

 

U.Va. turns back clock
Like their 1995 upset, Hagans-led Cavaliers shock Seminoles again
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- University of Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans took the snap and kneeled one last time. Then the celebration started in earnest at Scott Stadium. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the U.Va. players sprinted to the student section, and the masses filled on the field.

The scene looked a lot like what unfolded at Scott Stadium late on Nov. 2, 1995. On that Thursday night, before a sold-out crowd and an ESPN audience, U.Va. shocked No. 2 Florida State 33-28, handing the Seminoles their first-ever ACC loss.

The Spirit of '95 surged through sold-out Scott Stadium again last night. U.Va. snapped a two-game losing streak by stunning fourth-ranked and previously unbeaten FSU 26-21 before 63,106 fans, the second-largest crowd in school history, in a game shown nationally by ESPN.

Junior safety Tony Franklin sealed the victory for the Cavaliers (2-2, 4-2) by intercepting a pass from quarterback Drew Weatherford with 50 seconds left.

The quarterback of that '95 team -- which was honored at halftime last night -- was Mike Groh. The coach of the '05 team is his father, Al Groh. Last night, the Cavaliers gave the elder Groh his greatest moment in five years as coach at his alma mater.

The victory was only the second ever for Virginia over a top-five team.

"I'm very proud of our team and what they accomplished," Groh said.

The Seminoles (3-1, 5-1) entered as eight-point favorites, which seemed surprisingly low to many observers. Obviously, the bookmakers knew what they were doing. U.Va. won for the 19th time in its past 21 games at Scott Stadium.

This one didn't come easily for Virginia, which managed only one first down in the final 18 minutes. That first down came at a most opportune time, though. With FSU out of timeouts and U.Va. facing third and 3 from its 27, cornerback Tony Carter was called for interference against Virginia wideout Deyon Williams. That gave the Cavaliers a first down, and by the time FSU got the ball back, after a booming punt by Chris Gould, it had only 56 seconds to go 74 yards.

The 'Noles didn't get near the end zone. On first down, Franklin stepped in front of the intended receiver, Chris Davis, and came up with U.Va.'s third interception.

Hagans, a senior, completed 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't intercepted. The former Hampton High star played the second half with a hamstring injury.

"There probably haven't been too many games played by a Virginia quarterback better than that," Groh said.

Sophomore tight end Jonathan Stupar and junior wideout Fontel Mines (Hermitage High) each had a career-best five receptions for the Cavaliers.

U.Va. led 26-10 heading into the final period, but it had been outscored by a combined 45-24 in the fourth quarters of its first five games. After a Virginia punt, the'Noles struck quickly. They needed only four plays to score, Davis going the final 22 yards after catching a short pass from Weatherford on a crossing pattern. Weatherford then passed to 6-6 Greg Carr for the two-point conversion to pull FSU to 26-18 with 12:30 left.

The Seminoles drove to the U.Va. 15 on their next drive but had to settle for Gary Cismesia's 32-yard field goal, which made it 26-21 with 7:35 left.

Virginia led 23-10 at the break after showing a competitive fire and willingness to gamble that had been noticeably absent for much of the season. Thrice the Cavaliers tried trick plays. None was successful, but the attempts at deception kept the Seminoles off balance.

Senior Connor Hughes booted field goals of 50, 37 and 35 yards, and Hagans threw two touchdown passes in the first half. The first went to Stupars, who came down with the ball inches from the sideline in the end zone. An inspired defensive stand by U.Va. set up Hagans' second TD pass.

The Cavaliers' heat on Weatherford forced FSU into a three-and-out series, and Emmanuel Byers' fair catch of Chris Hall's punt gave Virginia the ball at the Seminoles' 43. Moments later, Hagans dumped a pass over the middle to senior tailback Wali Lundy, who caught the ball around the 10 and weaved his way into the end zone for his first TD of 2005.

The much-maligned U.Va. defense, buoyed by the return of inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, forced three turnovers. Junior cornerback Marcus Hamilton came in tied for the ACC lead in interceptions, with three, and he grabbed his fourth on the game's first drive. Reserve cornerback Chris Gorham, a sophomore, also had an interception late in the second quarter.

Hughes' 50-yarder put Virginia ahead 10-7 with 5:56 left in the first quarter. After FSU pulled even, the Cavaliers responded with a drive that included a 15-yard completion to true freshman wideout Maurice Covington, an 18-yard pass to Mines and a 20-yard strike to Stupar. The drive ended with Hughes' second field goal.

Two banks of lights on the stadium's east side went out around 10 p.m., delaying the start of the second half about 20 minutes. The ball went first to the Wahoos in the third quarter, and this drive, too, ended with a Hughes field goal. His 45-yarder made him 4 for 4 for the night -- 13 for 15 for the season -- and pushed U.Va.'s lead to 26-10 with 11:36 remaining.